We have been talking about hoodies for a year. We did a survey, jotted down the stats, but still, they never came to fruition. The economy hasn't been kind to us and well, staying afloat was more important than a hoodie. But then I had an idea! Why not create what we wanted on TeeSpring and give YOU what you want while supporting this movement? Voila! A hoodie was born! As TeeSpring goes, they are short campaigns that rely on YOU to share and purchase so it can tip. We have 5 days to go, so let's rock and roll! I cannot wait to rock mine!

In other news, it's our wonderful Co-Founder, Joseph Rogers' birthday. He posted on Facebook taht all he wants for his birthday is for folks to support the LoveMore Movement, buy a hoodie, and start a #CompassionRevolution!

Please tweet, instagram, facebook, scream on the top of a mountain, etc. You are welcome to use one of the images and this info:

Support the @LoveMoreMovement! Grab a hoodie and Start a #CompassionRevolution --> teespring.com/lovemoremovement

The safety pin movement was inspired by the British response to Brexit, and I will tell you, my experiences in the world this week have shown me how much we NEED to do this and more. Really, it's a "small" yet viable way to show solidarity. While in Target last night, in the grocery store, and out in the world, I have been unsure who is safe and who is unsafe--frankly, the social introvert has been silenced.
The LoveMore Movement will wear a Safety Pin in an effort to show solidarity, offer sup...

We are tired: Tired of opening our eyes to new acts of violence on a regular basis. Tired of the never ending acts of gun violence which leave countless families suffering, mired in their grief and anger. Tired of having to attempt to explain to our children why this violence continues to occur. We are just tired. There is simply no justification for any gun violence, random school shootings, police violence, or any acts of violence toward another human being. For me, one question that keeps coming up is, Why are we spending so much time trying to create stricter laws around how women manage their own bodies, but we spend so little time trying to create stricter laws around guns? Hm.

Every month here at the LoveMore Movement, we are trying to find a way to donate to a relevant cause in our community. There are so many, I don't even know where to start. This month, we have decided to donate 20% of all T-shirt sales to The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Our goal is to donate a minimum of $100 this month. We would obviously like to donate more. To do this, we need to sell 15 tees! Can you help us do this?

The last several days has brought me to my knees. I literally have felt like my heart has been broken. It feels like a persistent sadness creeping through my bones, slathered in anger and frustration. It feels sticky.

And I am on the peripheral.

I am not the mother of Treyvon Martin, or Eric Garner’s widow, or Michael Brown’s mother. Instead, I am a white, Jewish woman. I am part of a marginalized culture, who is persistently under violent attack. That's not enough:

I have privilege.

The color of my skin affords me this privilege. The fact that I am not racially profiled in this country affords me privilege. The fact that I am not looked at with mistrust is a result of privilege. I also have a choice. I can use my privilege it for good or I can use it to get what I want, when I want, whenever I can. I could abuse it. But the truth is, I didn't earn this privilege.

I am not better than anyone.

I have raised my son with this world view, one where he understands that he has privilege but that this privilege doesn't make him better. We talk about this all the time. It's part of our norm. As a young ,white man, this awareness starts the conversation of change so he hopefully doesn’t perpetuate the problem of misused, white privilege. I want to teach my son to go forth with integrity--To be the Atticus Finch of his times. Truth is, se’s been to protest after protest and learned to use his voice. He embraces change. I am grateful.

Today, when I picked my 8th grade son and his friend up from school, they exuded excitement. Their school staged a protest today. They were lying down on the floor, chanting “I Can’t Breathe” and “No Justice, No Peace.” I'm talking about 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. They were all there by choice. What began as a history class drawing attention to the injustice of the recent verdict surrounding Eric Garner’s murder, ultimately became a school-wide protest--A school-wide protest at a MIDDLE SCHOOL. HELL YES!

Young voices, burgeoning awareness, unmitigated compassion and a sense of justice is just part this picture. Things need to change. Things have to change. Because what we have is an epidemic of racially charged violence. We have ignorance fueled by fear, fueled by lack of training, fueled by a lack of awareness. We have men and women who go out day and night with the purported impetus to protect and to serve, yet they have been trained to shoot to kill and to completely empty their guns. They just want to go home--alive.

Our young men and women of color just want to go home too. And they want to go home alive. They don't want a feature in the evening news, or a stint on the icy cold coroner's table. That's not home. They want to be seen and heard and valued as human beings. They have families who love them. Truth: An officer’s family isn’t more important than the families of Trayvon, Eric, and Michael.

So, thank you to the City School for nurturing these young voices and for encouraging them to take action. Social action is powerful. We can’t change things on our own. We need to do it together. Knowing that this little school houses these giant voices gives me hope. It warms my broken heart.

Keep raising your voices. Keep gathering and protesting and making noise. Do it with compassion, and love and kindness, and don't give up. Black Lives Matter.

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what." -- Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird)